EU applauds repeal of Romania corruption decree

The EU on Thursday hailed the decision by Romania to reverse a government decree that would have weakened anti-corruption laws and sparked a wave of protests. "I really welcome the fact that emergency ordinance 13 has been repealed. That's a very good step," said European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans after talks with Romania's Prime Minster Sorin Grindeanu. Romania has been rocked by weeks of anti-graft protests in the biggest demonstrations since the end of communism in 1989. Grindeanu has remained defiant to the uproar and easily survived a confidence vote in parliament last week. "We have reiterated our firm stance on our commitment to fight corruption," Grindeanu said after talks with commission officials. The embattled premier, who took office in December, withdrew the contentious decree on February 5, but protests have continued. Grindeanu told reporters that new corruption legislation in Bucharest "would be debated in parliament involving all kinds of institutions, NGOs and parliament." The demonstrators are calling for Grindeanu's left-leaning Social Democrat (PSD) government to stand down. The decree, which sparked concern in Brussels and Washington, would have made abuse of power a crime punishable by jail only if the sums involved exceeded 200,000 lei (44,000 euros, $47,500). Critics say that this would have exonerated the head of the PSD, Liviu Dragnea, who is currently on trial for alleged abuse of power. Since Romania joined the EU in 2007, Brussels has subjected Bucharest to a Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) review over corruption concerns. "I strongly believe if that we stick to that roadmap we will be where we want to be: That the fight (against corruption) is so succesful that the situation is irreversible," Timmermans said, when asked about the review.